Technology News
Google Glass facing privacy and safety concerns
Washington, March 27 - Google Glass, the US techology giant's revolutionary wearable computer is still months away from release, but there is a growing movement across America seeking to limit and in some cases ban the use of the glasses due to both privacy and safety concerns.
"We heard of many crashes caused by texting and driving, most involving our youngest drivers," Republican Gary Howell of the West Virginia state legislature told tech website CNET.
Howell has introduced a bill that would effectively ban the use of Google Glass by drivers behind the wheel of a vehicle, siting safety concerns.
Google updates Maps app for iPhone
Washington, Mar 6 : Google has announced its Maps app update for Apple iPhone, making it easier to find places and look up saved friends' addresses.
Google Maps app, which will now include new search icons, can now be downloaded from the Apple App Store.
Now, users will be presented with icons for restaurants, coffee shops, bars and gas stations, which they can tap to search quickly for nearby locations.
In total, there are 13 different types of places users can search by, including hotels, hospitals and ATMs, ABC News reports.
Now, technology that lets people ‘air-write’ texts, emails
Washington, Mar 5 : Now a new technology has been developed that would allow users to draw letters in the air with their hand to write messages and emails.
Computer scientists at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have created an innovative "air-writing" glove system that replace the `thumb-typing' texts or emails on keyboards or touch screen smartphones.
The glove, created by Christoph Amma and colleagues, is equipped with accelerometers and gyroscopes that detect hand movements, the Discovery News reports.
Next iPhone could be launched in Aug-Sept 2013: Report
Washington, Mar 4 : The next generation Apple iPhone is likely to be launched in August or September 2013, an analyst has predicted.
According to This Week In Apple Rumors, Barclays analyst Kirk Yang predicted that the next iPhone would land in August or September, along with a cheaper iPhone aimed at emerging markets.
That August/September prognostication puts him in line with a growing squad of Apple-watchers calling for a July/August/September release, including Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge, Piper Jaffray''s Gene Munster and Peter Misek of Jeffries, the Huff Post reports.
Now, new service that delivers your ‘snail mail’ like email
Washington, Mar 3 : An Austin-based startup Outbox has no made it easy to digitize all of your physical mails and deliver them to you electronically.
The firm Outbox has turned the traditional mail you receive in your mailbox into a digital format you can read on your phones, tablets and PCs.
According to Mashable, once you sign up for Outbox, the company will visit your mailbox three times a week and collect your mail on your behalf.
Once it gets your mail, it then sorts it, scans it, and sends you digital versions that you can access from a smartphone app or a website on your computer.
Computer worm Stuxnet ‘older than previously believed’, claims anti-virus firm
Washington, Feb 28 : The computer worm that targeted an Iranian nuclear plant is older than previously believed, security experts from an anti-virus company have revealed.
The Stuxnet worm, aimed at the centrifuges in Iran''s Natanz plant, transformed the cybersecurity field because it was the first known computer attack specifically designed to cause physical damage.
The precise origins of the worm remain unclear, but until now the earliest samples of Stuxnet had been dated to 2009.
Last June, The New York Times traced the origins of the top-secret program back to 2006.
Now, alarm clock app that needs to be shaken to be turned off
New York, Feb 28 : An alarm clock app has been developed where the user must shake his/her iPhone vigorously to turn it off.
Now no more excuses, no more snooze button abuses - you will wake up on time.
The Wake N Shake Alarm Clock app has no sympathy for your cozy comforter. The only way to turn off the alarm is by shaking your iPhone vigorously - otherwise it will torment you with noise that cannot simply be clicked away.
Amazon warns iOS users to not install Kindle app update due to glitch
Washington, Feb 28 : Amazon has warned users of its Kindle app for iOS to refrain from updating to the latest version because of a glitch that wiped an existing customer''s entire library from the device.
After downloading the initial update, existing Kindle users were logged out of their accounts, and everything they had downloaded was deleted from their devices.
They also lost bookmarks and other settings, according to angry comments on iTunes, CNET reports.
Users then had to log back in to Kindle and redownload their books from the cloud. Some complained that they had to delete the app entirely and download it again.
Cockroaches could help build better robots in future
Washington, Feb 23 : Researchers have found that running cockroaches start to recover from being shoved sideways before their dawdling nervous system kicks in to tell their legs what to do.
These new insights on how biological systems stabilize could one day help engineers design steadier robots and improve doctors' understanding of human gait abnormalities.
In experiments, the roaches were able to maintain their footing mechanically-using their momentum and the spring-like architecture of their legs, rather than neurologically, relying on impulses sent from their central nervous system to their muscles.
Apple may have planted iWatch leaks ‘out of desperation’, says report
Washington, Feb 21 : Tech giant Apple may have planted iWatch leaks in to show the world it is still innovating, a report has claimed.
According to Forbes contributor Nigam Arora, one theory is that Apple wanted to let the world know it is developing a smartwatch since rumors of a similar offering being developed by Samsung emerged last month.
Arora also suggested that Apple might have planted the stories "out of desperation" to show that it is not a two-trick pony with the iPhone and iPad, and it's still innovating, Fox News reports.
`Designated texter` allows co-passenger to read and send your sms
Washington, Feb 20 : Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority has launched its own "designated texter" campaign in an effort to decrease distracted drivers and increase safety and awareness about the danger of texting while driving.
Oak Ridge High School senior Trevon Cleveland said that when his friends are driving, he urges them to keep their hands on the wheel and away from their smartphone's keyboard.
"I always ask my friends if they want me to send a text while they're driving, because I don't want them to put my life in jeopardy," the 17-year-old student said.
HTC says it ‘reinvents smartphone’ with new Android-powered handset
Washington, Feb 20 : Taiwan-based mobile maker HTC has announced its latest flagship Android phone -the HTC One.
Mike Woodward, President of HTC America said that they think `it''s time to shake things up in the smartphone space.'
The firm has decided to come out and reinvent the smartphone, he added.
According to Woodward, the One is a complete shift for the industry, built around how people use their phones now, ABC News reports.
The report said that HTC''s Android phones have always been known for their top-of-the-line hardware parts and the One is no different.